My new variety of lily plant is classified botanically as a Lilium hybrid. It is classified commercially as an upright Asiatic hybrid, division I-A in the Horticultural Classification of the Genus Lilium adopted by The Royal Horticultural Society of London.
My new variety of lily plant originated as a seedling selected from a group of seedlings at Oregon Bulb Farms, Sandy, Oreg.
The seedlings were planted during a breeding program carried on by me since the year 1965. This program has as its primary objectives the production of brilliantly-colored, unspotted or scarcely spotted, upright-flowering lily cultivars which will perform well when forced into flower under glass throughout the year, in addition to meeting the requirements of vigor, disease resistance, and rapid natural propagation in field cultivation. Cultivars are sought which will be disease resistant, virus tolerant, and not unduly susceptible to leaf scorch or bud abortion when forced under glass.
My new variety of lily plant resulted from a cross made in 1968 between its seed parent `Cinnabar` (not patented) and its pollen parent `Red Carpet` (not patented). The plant first flowered in 1970 among the seedling beds of test crosses at Oregon Bulb Farms.
My new lily plant shows vigorous growth and propagation characteristics. It is characterized by rapid natural propagation under field conditions and also by vigorous and healthy growth when forced under glass. When forced under glass it is not subject to excessive leaf scorch or bud abortion.
When forced under glass my new lily plant is further characterized by unusually rapid growth to its flowering stage. It is highly resistant to diseases and tolerant to virus.
In particular, my new lily plant is characterized by the brilliant orange color of its flowers. Since its flowers have virtually no spots, this color is unusually deep and rich.
My new lily plant most closely resembles Lilium `Enchantment`; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 862. However, it has virtually no spots so that the color is richer and deeper. It also flowers more rapidly when forced, requiring seven to ten days fewer than `Enchantment` to reach flowering stage when forced. This makes it of particular value as a cut flower cultivar.
My new variety of lily plant has been asexually reproduced by me and under my direction at Sandy, Oreg. It is propagated by scale propagation and natural vegetative increase (bulb division). Successive generations have demonstrated that the novel and distinctive characteristics of my new variety are fixed and hold true under asexual propagation from generation to generation.